Rufiyaa: coin from Republic of Maldives; 100 laari

RUFIYAA: COIN OF MALDIVES

1 rufiyaa, 2007: Republic of Maldives

Date on coin: AH 1428 (AH: Latin "Anno Hegirae" — "the year of the Hijra"; Islamic calendar) = 2007 (Gregorian calendar).

REPUBLIC OF MALDIVES.

ރުފިޔާ 1 RUFIYA: the denomination of the coin is indicated both in the official local Maldivian language (Dhivehi) and in English.

Under the denomination, two ropes are tied into a knot (probably as a symbol of the state's maritime status).

M.M.A. (micro-writing) under the knot: Maldives Monetary Authority (a government institution of the Maldives that functions as the central bank).

١٤٢٨ - 2007: 1428 - 2007 (date by Islamic and Gregorian calendar).

ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ: the name of the state (Maldives) in the local language; literally reads as Dhivehi Raajje.

Emblem of Maldives: a coconut palm, a crescent, and two criss-crossing National Flags with the traditional Title of the State (Arabic "الدولة المحلديبية" — State of the Mahal Dibiyat /which is the name Ibn Battuta and other Medieval Arab travellers used to refer to the Maldive/.

Royal Mint (United Kingdom).

Nickel plated steel: 26 mm - 6.35 g
Reference price: 1$

COIN RUFIYAA — WHERE & WHEN (coins catalog: by names & emitents)

REPUBLIC OF MALDIVES (1977-...): rufiyaa = 100 laari

RUFIYAA as coin name.

Rufiyaa (Dhivehi "ދިވެހި ރުފިޔާ") — modern currency and coin of the Republic of Maldives (a country spread over more than 1.100 islands in the Indian Ocean near Sri Lanka). Consists of 100 laari.

In ancient times, money cowrie (species of small sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Cypraeidae, the cowries) and coins of neighboring countries were used as money on the territory of the islands.

At first, larin — ancient silver wire substitute for money in the lands around the Arabian Sea (originally Persian) became widespread on the islands. Around the 16th century, own larin of the same traditional shape first appeared in the Maldives, and then coins with the larin denomination began to appear.

Then the Maldives gradually switched to monetary settlements using the rupee, which was common in the region of India and Ceylon.

Since the beginning of the 1960s (the independence of the Maldives was declared in 1965), the islands gradually began to switch to their own currency, the rufiyaa. Initially, small exchangeable coins — laari (not larin) — were introduced into circulation. Rufiyaa appeared much later: the first coins, commemorative 5 and 20 rufiyaa from the FAO series, dated 1977 and issued in a small mintage — only 15.000 pieces. Since 1982, coins have been minted for circulation in the amount of 1 rufiyaa, and since 1995 — 2 rufiyaa.